Curtain... Confession time: I have a teeny bit of dance training. For two years I studied tap, ballet, and jazz with the late, great Betty Gentry. I also got a crash course in hip-hop and swing dancing before my tour with the Continental Singers. Four to six hours of just choreography a day, in addition … Continue reading La Vie Gershwin
Why I Like the First “Pirates” Best
Have you seen the latest Pirates of the Caribbean yet? What did you think? If Leonard Maltin's review is any indicator, things aren't looking so good. Granted, the public is by no means tired of watching the adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow, and as long as a franchise makes money, new installments will keep coming. Personally, I lost interest … Continue reading Why I Like the First “Pirates” Best
X Marks the Spot
Swish, swish, swish... 🙂 There have been adaptations a-plenty of Robert Louis Stevenson's most famous work, Treasure Island. The entertainment world has produced over fifty for film and TV, over twenty-four major stage productions, six radio versions, five computer games, five musical scores, three audio books and two retellings. And a partridge in a pear … Continue reading X Marks the Spot
City of Secrets
Class differences seem to be the theme for this week (It was totally inadvertent, I promise). This time, we're off to Germany to see what lies beneath in the 1927 film, Metropolis, a harrowing and complicated story of veiled dystopia. On one hand, it is among the first feature-length science fiction movies and really raised the bar in … Continue reading City of Secrets
Reblog: Screen Guild Theatre July 4th Triple Feature
Happy Independence Day to all my American readers! Hope you like Aurora's new post as much as I did. 🙂
That Other Hamilton Woman
And now to discuss one of the great ladies of the screen... Gone With the Wind is a notorious tale. Margaret Mitchell's 1936 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about the Civil War South was a massive success, and the 1939 movie is still the top box office earner of all time. Even those who haven't seen it … Continue reading That Other Hamilton Woman
You Irreplaceable You
February 15, 2016 was the seventieth anniversary of the unveiling of ENIAC, without which none of us would be tapping away at laptops smaller than coffee table books, or blogging, or sending e-mail, or using self-check cash registers, and so on and so forth. It goes without saying that we can't imagine life without computers. … Continue reading You Irreplaceable You
Judy Garland Lived Here
Judy's life was an odyssey and like most of us, her place of residence changed frequently. I thought it would be interesting to post current-day photos of as many of her former homes as possible, preferably using Google Maps. There was only one slight hitch (and being a Californian I should have remembered this): Mansions … Continue reading Judy Garland Lived Here
Mick and Jootes
One of Old Hollywood's sweetest stories is the long-enduring relationship between Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney. They knew each other almost all their lives, and while romance never entered the picture, there was always more than friendship there. Both started in vaudeville at very young ages (Mickey was eighteen months old, while Judy was two-and-a-half), … Continue reading Mick and Jootes
Accentuate the Positive
Here we go--time to talk about Miss Show Business! I've said it before and I'll say it again: When people think of Judy Garland, they most often go right to the sordid parts of her life. This is a huge shame, because to the people who knew her, Judy had such a gift for bringing … Continue reading Accentuate the Positive
Page To Screen: Now, Voyager
A little housekeeping: As of today, "Page To Screen" will be appearing here on the first Wednesday of the even-numbered months (as if it's had much time to be anywhere 🙂 ), while the odd-numbered months will feature a companion series. More details coming later. Onward... Now, Voyager is one of Bette Davis's best-known films … Continue reading Page To Screen: Now, Voyager
Surf’s Up
We Californians have to deal with some funny stereotypes, none of them true. Most of the time, anyway. We all live next door to movie stars, we're all uber-liberal, we're all hippies. And we all surf. I had a friend in high school who moved to California from Ohio, and she told me her friends … Continue reading Surf’s Up
On One Hand: My Five Favorite Classic Stars
It's National Classic Movie Day again, and Rick has another question for us bloggers: Which five stars are your favorite? Eeeep. That's even tougher than last year's challenge. Anyone who's an old film lover knows there's so much to like about the Golden Age. Me, I always enjoy watching the repartee between Katharine Hepburn and … Continue reading On One Hand: My Five Favorite Classic Stars
Get Me To the (House) On Time
Time to go home. Well, sort of... I have to say, I've never done a review like this before. One of my favorite blogs is Hooked On Houses, but it's the kind of thing where I look but don't touch. Part of this is because I live in an apartment, so I have no skin in … Continue reading Get Me To the (House) On Time
Battle of the Backlots
(Cue Rocky theme music.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioE_O7Lm0I4 Welcome, film fans! We have come to a big face-off between two movie heavyweights. Both are scrappy and determined, but only one will win the title of Best Backlot. In this corner, we have M-G-M, which roared onto the scene in 1924. Called by industry professionals "the Tiffany of the business," M-G-M … Continue reading Battle of the Backlots
Reblog: Have a Happy Easter with Old-Time Radio
Don’t know about you, but I can’t resist a good radio show. Happy Easter, everyone!
Happy Easter to one and all!
The night is over, the sun is tall.
The day did break with a tiny beam
And flooded life with Light supreme.
― Paul F. Kortepeter, Holly Pond Hill: A Child’s Book of Easter
Here’s wishing you and yours an old-fashioned, happy Easter.
Ann Miller
You can find a collection of vintage Easter images here.
If you prefer the sounds of the season enjoy these old-time radio shows courtesy of supreme talents in entertainment…
From April 5, 1953 it’s The Jack Benny Program with “Easter Parade”
Stars of The Jack Benny Program: Eddie ‘Rochester’ Anderson, Dennis Day, Mary Livingstone, Jack, Don Wilson & Phil Harris
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From March 27, 1948 it’s The Life of Riley with “The Giant Easter Bunny Fertilizer”
Life of Riley radio cast
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From April 2, 1944 it’s The Charlie McCarthy Show Easter entry with guest stars Orson…
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POLL: Which Studio Has (Or Had) the Best Backlot?
I know it may be a tough question if you're into classic film, but what do you think? Is it M-G-M's gone-but-not-forgotten backlot? Or has Warner Bros. done it better? Do you like both of them? Or maybe you prefer some other studio? Comment below! Or on Twitter. Or on Instagram. Preferably not a combo, … Continue reading POLL: Which Studio Has (Or Had) the Best Backlot?
Taking Up Room 